The Other Life of Arizona Robbins
by Race122VE
Summary: ***Complete - 2/18/10*** A figure from Arizona’s past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she arrived in Seattle.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (1/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she arrived in Seattle.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 1**

For someone who wasn't a very big fan of the usually anti-climactic holiday known as New Year's Eve, Arizona Robbins had a smile plastered tightly on her face. To an observer, it would seem that the effects of midnight were still lingering with her over an hour later. Internally, she knew it was because Nicholas's status, post-op, was looking better than any of them had hoped for. Derek, Mark, and herself had delivered their positive outcome of the surgery to the Jacobsen's as well as their hopes for a speedy recovery. She let Derek and Mark go, offering to watch the boy for the rest of her shift. She was scheduled to be leaving soon and only had a few hours to herself before she had to be in later that morning. The plan was to catch Callie before her shift, but time was only offering a very small window.

She reached inside her pocket, fishing for her phone and coming back empty. She padded down any pocket on her before realization dawned on her that she had left her phone in her bag amidst the rush of Nicholas's last minute surgery. After placing the chart back on the rack in the nurses' station, Arizona made her way down the hall towards the locker room so she could get her phone. The wheels in her mind began turning as she realized that Callie had probably called her after midnight. Her girlfriend had gotten used to the idea that certain holidays and events weren't really Arizona's thing, so when the opportunity for both of them to work on New Year's Eve/Day came up she suggested to Callie that they jump on the chance for some extra pay and overtime. Callie had been a little less than thrilled at the idea, but upon reviewing everyone's schedules it turned out that most of their friends were going to be in work anyway.

Arizona did promise to make it up to her; they had some time off since neither took any sick days or vacations, and she promised Callie a long weekend away somewhere. Their schedules have been so hectic over the holidays that neither of them had been off duty at the same time. Arizona would have been happy hiding away at her apartment. Away from the hospital, roommates, and neighbors with problems that took the liberty of walking into Callie's place whenever they felt like it.

However, with all the birthday, Christmas, and now New Year's mess she knew she had to make the weekend special. Even if she didn't plan on letting Callie out of the bed.

The sound of fast approaching footsteps from behind broke her train of thought. She went to turn around to see who was running towards her and was happily surprised to see Callie fall into step beside her and link their arms together. "Happy New Year," she greeted quietly, leaning in slightly to let the words fall into Arizona's ear. Everything that was Callie seeped into her senses. The breath that spoke the greeting tickled her neck. The scent of Callie blissfully filled her nose. Even the way she clung to Arizona's arm sent shivers through her body. It wasn't until Arizona tilted her head slightly towards Callie that she finally took in the outfit of attending scrubs she wore. Her brow wrinkled in thought.

"Why are you wearing-?"

Her question was replaced with a grunt as she was pulled into a room to the right. Still wearing a confused look, Arizona watched Callie scan the x-ray room. A smirk spread across her face as she realized they were alone and suddenly didn't care what Callie was doing in early, just that she was there. She snaked her arms around Callie's waist and drew her girlfriend closer. The brunette welcomed the embrace, her arms traveling up Arizona's arms and moving over her shoulders to finally rest behind her neck. Their lips hovered over one another's as Arizona closed her eyes and leaned forward only to be met by air.

"Wait," Callie exclaimed. "There has to be a count-down."

"What?"

"It's New Year's Eve," Callie explained as she pulled her arm back slightly to look at her watch. "Well, it was...I mean...It's our first New Year's kiss. Typically...there's a countdown."

Arizona looked back, opening her mouth a couple times before all she could come up with was, "Seriously?"

"Seriously, we're going to have a countdown to," Callie checked her watch one more time. "1:17, then we'll kiss."

"Wow," Arizona said, smiling at her girlfriend. They barely had any time alone together for a while and she found herself smitten at the idea of Callie wanting to have a New Year's countdown. "That is...adorable."

Callie narrowed her eyes, "Shut up."

The blonde continued to giggle anyway before playing along with her, "So, how much time left?"

"Thirty seconds," Callie winced in reply.

"Calliope!" Arizona whined.

"Hey, come on, it's traditional," Callie shot back playfully, her hand coming up to trace Arizona's jaw line. "I know you're not big on certain things, but I love that whole New Year's Eve kiss. It sets the tone of the year. Don't you want the tone to be us kissing?"

"I'd like it to be now," Arizona shot back as she leaned forward, but Callie was too quick. She turned her head to the side and Arizona ended up kissing her cheek. Even though Callie was being stubborn about this tradition, Arizona decided to make her pay for it by continuing to kiss her cheek down towards Callie's neck. She squirmed in response but remained strong, despite the seconds ticking by felt more like hours at this rate.

Callie let out a low moan as Arizona reached a tender spot. "You are so gonna pay for that later," she breathed out before checking her watch again, "OK, see, look already down to ten, nine, eight..." As she pulled her neck out of reach, Callie continued counting and nudged Arizona to join along. "Three, two, one…"

"Happy New Year."

The counting had grown quieter until the last words were whispered to each other. The space had closed between them and their lips gently met. The sensation started to grow just beyond her lips as Arizona moved her tongue to deepen the kiss, but Callie had pulled back. Not far, however, as her lips were still floating just over Arizona's. They grazed as Callie said quietly and with all the emotion she could convey, "I love you."

Since they had said those three words to each other, Arizona couldn't help the wave of emotions that ran through her every time she heard Callie say them out loud. She couldn't focus on anything at the moment except for the lips that uttered the words. Tilting her head to the side, Arizona dove back in to the kiss. She wasted no time and found no resistance in her attempt to deepen the kiss. Their mouths moved together, knowing the right way to mash together so that the feeling was both familiar and refreshing all at the same time. Her hands moved lower down Callie's back as she moaned into the kiss. Callie responded by pushing her body into Arizona's and letting her fingers tangle in the blonde, waves of hair.

The blaring, shrill, repetitive beep filled the room and broke their mouths apart. They remained inches apart, their bodies flush against one another. Callie reached between their bodies as Arizona leaned her head back against the wall and let out a frustrated sigh. "It's the ER," Callie told her. "I have to go."

"I thought you weren't on till later," Arizona exhaled as she looked back into Callie's eyes and tried not to be too aware of the physical proximity. "I was trying to get out of here so we could maybe have an hour or something together."

"I got called in early and wanted to surprise you," she responded. "I guess we both were thinking the same thing."

"Yeah, until someone from the ER noticed you were here," Arizona pouted.

Callie laughed in response before placing a playful pout on her own lips, "Aw, hey, we're gonna have our time soon. At least we got to make out for a little bit."

"Yeah," Arizona begrudgingly agreed before perking up slightly. "And…we both have off tonight."

"And…you have off all day today," Callie reminded her girlfriend, leaning in closer with each word. "So you can go home, sleep, and when you wake up you can start thinking of all the things that we can do when I get home."

A swift kiss was placed on Arizona's lips before Callie moved down to her neck. Arizona sighed at the contact as her hands slipped underneath the edge of Callie's scrub top. "I think I'm already starting to think of things we can do," she replied before moaning when Callie hit a particularly sensitive spot. "God, I know this isn't the first time we've been interrupted, but this is the first I've really resented a patient in the ER."

The pager went off again and this time they both groaned. "I really have to go," Callie said apologetically. "I'll text you when I'm done my shift."

With one last kiss, Callie left Arizona to compose herself. After a few moments, she sighed and pushed herself off the wall and out of the room. The high from being pulled into a room with Callie carried her to the lounge where she would gather her things and leave the hospital after a long shift.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (2/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she arrived in Seattle.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 2**

Arizona had ignored the first couple of pages that read 911 and were directing her to the ER, figuring that whoever was on call in her department would pick up her shift. She gave in when the number of pages reached double digits. As she made her way down to the ER, she tried to push all the feeling of exhaustion to the back of her mind. Confusion soon settled in when she walked into a nearly empty ER. She looked down at her pager again to check where she should go, but heard her name being hissed and saw Lexie over at the nurses' station.

"You know, there is another PEDS surgeon on call," she announced as Lexie stood and clutched a chart to her chest. "I know, I'm awesome…but, I'm also off duty…and tired-"

"I know, I'm very, very sorry," Lexie cut in. "I…um, I-I I'm really sorry-"

Lexie continued stammering before Arizona held up her hand, "Lexie. Stop."

The resident did as she was told. She literally stopped completely. "Breathe," Arizona instructed, trying to call the skittish girl. "OK. Now, tell me why you paged."

It still took a moment or two for Lexie to get herself together, but she spoke very clearly when she did, "There's been a request for you in Trauma 2."

The chart that she had been clutching for dear life was now being outstretched to Arizona. A part of her was afraid to take it, unaware of what could possibly have Lexie acting this way, but she grabbed it and flipped the top open. "This is an adult," she stated, looking up at Lexie for some sort of explanation. She merely nodded back towards the chart, silently urging Arizona to continue reading.

Her eyes drifted back down to the chart, skimming over the details before looking back at the top for the name of the patient. She froze instantly. Lexie noticed the change and looked around before whispering, "I was discreet-"

"How did you know to page me?"

Lexie gulped, "She asked me to."

Arizona looked back down at the chart. "Dr. Torres…?"

"She has me handling everything," Lexie explained quickly and quietly. "I'm supposed to take the patient up for x-rays and get her labs processed before I page Dr. Torres-"

"Get the tests scheduled," Arizona cut in, her tone and attitude switching into damage control mode. It's as if Arizona the person was now replaced with Dr. Robbins the surgeon, and this situation was a routine surgery that had gone horribly wrong. "I just need a few minutes with her. I know you said you're being discreet but, Lexie, if anyone else finds out about this…"

The sentence was left hanging in the air. Lexie was no longer jumpy; she had snapped into surgeon mode as well and nodded along with Arizona. She went to move around the nurses' station, but Arizona caught her elbow, "What did she say exactly?"

Lexie took a deep breath before recalling the encounter, "After Dr. Torres examined the leg, and she left me to get the tests done. The patient asked if you were working. I said I wasn't sure, but Dr. Robbins was the head of pediatric surgery and only saw children anyway. She then asked if I could page you and she said she was your girlfriend-"

"She said girlfriend?" Arizona spat out, the anger now radiating off of her in waves. It wasn't until now that Lexie felt the sting from Arizona's grip on her elbow. Her mouth opened to try to let out some sound to let the attending know she was in pain, but she merely squeaked out nonsense before Arizona let go.

"I know you're just the messenger here, so I apologize for my behavior," she told Lexie slowly, trying to take slow breathes through her anger. "OK, I'm going in there. Just…please…"

"No one's going to find out about this, Dr. Robbins," Lexie assured Arizona, leaning in close and placing a reassuring hand briefly on her arm before going to perform her duties. Arizona remained rooted in her spot, the chart still open on the counter. She looked down at it again; the name immediately jumped out and lodged itself in her thoughts.

She turned and found she had to steady herself slightly before heading over to the room. Her knuckles were white due to the grip she had on the chart. Arizona charged into the room and dropped the chart on the table with a loud bang that caused the woman lying in the bed to jump and let out a small yelp. That was soon followed by a wince due to the pain she had caused herself from jumping.

"You could be a little more careful around me…I'm injured."

Arizona took in the woman she used to know so well. Her light, brown hair had grown and was wavier than the last time Arizona had seen her. She looked skinnier, but upon further inspection Arizona found that she was more toned which was odd because the woman she used to know hated exercising and sports in general. There was really only one thing that remained the same as the picture Arizona had in her head, and that was her eyes.

The same piercing, green eyes that she used to get lost in were now fixated back at Arizona. She tried to think of something to say, even opening mouth a couple times with nothing coming out, before burying her face in her hands and letting out a loud, muffled groan.

"How is it OK that you're the one frustrated here?"

The question caused something to snap in Arizona, and she found her voice again. "Seriously?" Arizona sighed. "You come into my work…you talk to my residents…you call me your girlfriend-"

"Technically…we never broke up."

"Katie," she moaned in response. "Are you crazy? I mean…what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm fine, by the way," Katie replied, motioning to her leg and various scrapes on her face. "You know, the doctor said it looks like a routine break, but she just wants to be thorough-"

"I read your chart, I knew you were OK," Arizona shot back. "Let's get back to the 'what the hell are you doing here' part."

Katie's eyebrows shot up. "I thought it was obvious," she gestured to her leg again. It just fueled Arizona's fire and she went to say something but Katie rushed to beat her, "OK, to sincerely answer your question, I'm in town visiting my sister. I've been stuck in airports for days due to the weather here and back home and I literally just arrived only to fall down the stairs at the airport and break my leg."

"So, you're here visiting family, and then decided to come and mess up my life" Arizona verified with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. "And then you ask for me? How did you know I worked here?"

"I got your forwarding address and all the other info from one of the nurses at the hospital," she responded very quietly. "Look…the plan was to drop by your apartment while I was in town. I didn't plan on falling and getting taken to your hospital. I am sorry that I dropped in on you this way."

"And for asking for your girlfriend," she reminded her. "Katie, come on, you know how quickly something like that can spread in a hospital."

That gained Katie's interest instantly, "So, there's someone that you don't want hearing this news?"

Arizona shook her head in frustration, "That's not really any of your business. You can't show up after over two years and...you can't mess up my life."

"It would make us even."

The words stung more than she thought they would. Arizona directed her gaze elsewhere, but Katie's eyes remained fixed on the blonde. "It's been two years, five months, and eighteen days, by the way," Katie clarified as Arizona rested her hands on the table in front of her and lowered her head. "I guess it's easy to lose track when you're the one who just up and left without any kind of goodbye."

Despite being the wronged party in the situation, Katie knew the defeated look Arizona was sporting as she looked back up. "I've moved on, just so you know, I have," she backtracked, trying to explain herself better. "Everyone was really supportive, even your family…even your family has been great. They wouldn't tell me where you were, but…

"The point is…I need closure here."

A swift knock at the door halted any attempts Arizona may have had to process everything that was happening. Lexie cracked the door and squeezed in, instantly feeling the tension. "Um, Katherine's labs look good," she announced meekly. "And we're ready for the x-rays, so…"

"We're not done yet," Katie interjected.

"We are for now," Arizona shot back. "Dr. Grey's gonna finish your tests, and when you get out of here-"

The door opened and Callie strode in without a second thought. "Grey, where's the chart for…" she trailed off when she looked up and saw that Arizona was in the room and everyone was staring at her with wide, startled eyes. "What are you doing here?" her voice softened slightly as she addressed Arizona.

"Wrong room," Arizona supplied instantly, flashing a smile to everyone all around. "And wrong Grey. Turns out I didn't make it out of the hospital fast enough and the other Dr. Grey needs a consult, so…nothing else."

The last words were emphasized and directed towards Katie and Lexie as she backed towards the other door of the trauma room. Callie seemed un-phased by Arizona. She motioned to Lexie for the labs as she addressed Arizona, "OK. Hopefully it won't be anything too serious. That way you can get home and get some rest."

The exchange didn't go unnoticed by Katie, who looked Callie up and down, taking her in. Lexie had backed herself up against a wall and Callie turned her attention down to the lab results. "OK, then." Arizona said as she forced herself out the door.

"OK, Katherine-"

"Call me Katie," she interjected gently.

Callie smiled in response. "Katie, OK, well your labs look good. We're gonna get your scans done then I'll take care of your leg."

"Sounds good, as long as you keep these drugs flowing through me," Katie said, smiling back. "So...was that your girlfriend?"

Callie's head snapped back slightly while Lexie coughed loudly in the corner. Both women looked back at Lexie briefly before returning their attention back to each other. "That obvious, huh?" Callie replied lightly.

"Yeah, you both just kind of…lit up around each other," Katie played along. "Must be nice, though. Working with someone you're involved with."

"With our hectic schedules, yeah, it works out sometimes," Callie answered, focusing more on the notations she was making to the chart as opposed to what she was actually saying. "It also sucks. We go days sometimes without really seeing each other outside the hospital."

"I remember how that was," Katie chuckled. "My ex was a doctor, so-"

"Uh…you know," Lexie piped in. "They're waiting for us…f-for the, uh, the scan, so…"

"Dr. Grey's right. We'll have plenty of time for small talk later when I have to set your leg," she smiled again at Katie before turning back to Lexie. "Let me know when you get the films."

After making a final note on the chart, Callie exited quickly and Lexie took a moment to slump into a nearby chair. "Holy crap, that was intense," she remarked.

"Lesbian drama at its finest," Katie quipped bitterly.

"You know, normally I'm not a huge meddler, but…I'm just way too into this to keep my mouth shut," Lexie began. "I don't know what happened between you and Dr. Robbins but if you're trying to make some kind of peace with her…this is not the way to do it."

Katie exhaled slowly before addressing Lexie, "You may be involved in this, but the only important thing that you just said was 'I don't know what happened.'"


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (3/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she arrived in Seattle.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 3**

Everything hit her all at once as soon as she left the room. Arizona didn't pause, however. She continued walking, pushing through the disbelief of the situation, the anger at her ex, and the shame of being faced with the consequences of her actions until she was outside. Her breath had hitched itself in her throat until the cold air quickly whisked its way into her lungs. Once Arizona did catch her breath, she felt her knees buckle and leaned into the wall for support. She couldn't understand how this had happened. How one second her life was perfect and now…

The thought trailed off in her mind.

Arizona let it drop because, if she were to be honest, her life here, in Seattle, was perfect. Outside of the city, the hospital, even her relationship, her life was anything but perfect. She couldn't be sure if it was the weather or the thoughts of her pre-Callie life, but a chill ran up her spine. The material of her lab coat wasn't cutting it during January, but when she turned her head to even look at the hospital she knew she wasn't even close to ready.

She released a long, slow breath and watched the air dance around before evaporating into the cold. Her arms hugged her body as tightly as they could, but it wasn't enough. The only good thing that came from the winter chill was that she found it easier to focus on the cold than on the problem waiting for her in the hospital.

"What're you waiting for?"

Owen Hunt's coarse voice happily snapped her out of her thoughts. He made his way over to Arizona without waiting for an answer and stood next to her. She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it knowing that she didn't have a response. His mouth formed a slight frown as his eyes scanned her face. Their eyes met and he gave her a nod before shrugging off his coat and putting it around her shoulders. In Owen's mind, he had assessed the situation and knew that, first and foremost, what Arizona needed was another jacket.

All Arizona could give Owen was a small smile in response. Owen moved on to his next assessment, "OK, you're not waiting…so, what're you hiding from?"

He was good; she had to give him that. "Life," she supplied quietly. "I'm hiding from my life."

They both had found a nice little support system in each other. Nothing too major, just small conversations here and there when they both found themselves in the same room at Callie and Christina's apartment without their respective others. They had an obvious common bond between them, what with the war and service both of them were directly or indirectly involved with.

It consisted mostly of sharing funny stories, or happy memories that were scattered through the painful ones. This was new, though, for both of them. Arizona worked best when she could think out loud, talk out her problem with someone. This was one problem that she was hoping she never had to talk out, but it was here. Katie was here, and that was something she needed to talk about.

Owen was uneasy as he leaned back against the wall, because the situation wasn't as secretive as she may have thought. Sure, he knew something was the matter just by her look, but he wouldn't have put two and two together if he wasn't so on top things in his ER. He knew Lexie Grey ran out of that room frantically and paged Dr. Robbins, and now here she was leaning against the wall looking dreary.

Just as she had her emotions written all over her, Arizona saw that when she looked at Owen he had a knowing look. "You didn't just 'happen' to be out here," she stated, using air quotes to punctuate her point. "What do you know?"

"I know something is going on with you and Dr. Torres' patient," he said slowly, scanning his brain for the right words to say to the delicate woman next to him. She quickly looked to the ground and he rushed to continue, "That's all I know. That's all anyone knows, is…something. And when I say anyone I mean Dr. Grey and myself."

"Give it about five minutes," Arizona laughed bitterly. "Everyone will know there's something…including Callie."

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Maybe you could be the one to tell her that there is something."

"Maybe," she mused, letting the thought enter into her head and imagining scenarios of how Callie would react to everything. Then, she laughed. Arizona tried to hold it in, but the air puffed out of her mouth. She couldn't control the reaction and looked over at Owen. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, followed by his mouth hanging open in reaction to Arizona's sudden fit of laughter. She shook her head, brought her hand up to her chest, and fought to catch her breath as she continued to laugh. "I'm sorry," she managed to let out between her hysterics. "I just realized…thinking about telling Callie what's going on…now all I can think about is wanting a cigarette. It's crazy…I'm…crazy…

"I'm in trouble."

The last words fell out of her mouth and she couldn't even remember what laughing was, let alone being in a fit of it just moments before. "I'm in so much trouble," she verified. "I lied to Callie, who is now…treating the lie for a broken leg."

"You should go find her," he instructed. "You should go tell her before she finds out from someone else. Believe me, you should be the one to tell her-"

"That my ex just showed up?" Arizona supplied, harshly breaking into his advice. "I guess you'd be the one to talk to in this situation."

They were both taken back by the harshness of her reply. She knew where the anger stemmed from, but how it got out and projected onto Owen she couldn't say. "I'm sorry," she said, seconds later. "I'm taking this out on the wrong person."

"You're scared," he told her softly; not letting her words sting him because not only was she a little right but everything was chaos. In chaos, emotions don't always stay where you want them to stay. "And…I do have…experience in this type of situation. Not talking about, not being the one to tell…

"There's no way it will end well, for anyone."

The words were meant for Arizona, but resonated with Owen in a way that he didn't expect. Arizona leaned over and nudged into Owen, smiling as she did so and hoping to pull one out from him. Slowly the smile spread over his hard features and they shared a small laugh at themselves.

Arizona pushed herself off the wall and returned Owen's jacket. "I'll talk to Callie if you talk to Christina," she offered with a shrug. "I'm not sure how it's gonna go, but you're right. It should come from me and, in a weird way, knowing that you're kinda doing the same thing will help me…a little, anyway. This is just…it's gonna be hard and I need all the help I can get."

"Deal," he said as he accepted the jacket.

With a satisfied nod, Arizona headed back into the hospital.

In her paranoid mind, all eyes instantly fell on Arizona. She paused a moment after stepping through the doors and talked herself down. As she continued walking, her eyes instantly were drawn to the closed door of Katie's room. She looked away just as fast and made her way towards the elevator. Arizona didn't really know where Callie would be, but decided to head up to the lounge and have her paged there.

She waited as patiently for the elevator as she could in this state, but her nerves got the better of her and she continually pounded the button that had already been pressed. As if some higher power was controlling her life and having fun watching how tortured she was, the elevator to her left arrived only to announce with an irritating bing and a lit up signal that it was going down.

The loud groan that escaped her mouth earned Arizona a few backwards glances, but she ignored them when the elevator to her right arrived. She was happy to find it empty and pressed not only the button of her destination, but the button that would close the doors sooner so she could remain alone.

With her luck, however, the doors did not close fast enough and a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the door. Arizona looked up and couldn't help the horrified expression that spread on her face at the sight of Callie. "Nice to see you, too," she said, noting Arizona's expression. "What's up? Did you finish your consult? Are you heading home?"

"I lied to you," she revealed out loud, instantly wincing at the lost gracefulness she was hoping to possess when she brought this up. "I'm sorry…to blurt, I just…I didn't have a consult with Dr. Grey."

"OK," Callie replied slowly.

"Well, I mean…technically, I did," Arizona backpedaled. "Just not the Grey I told you I was supposed to…I was in the right room, when you came down. I was where I was requested to be."

She saw the shift in Callie's features. Normally she found it charming when Arizona was flustered about something, so much so that she tripped over her own words, but Callie quickly realized this was not a time to be charmed by her girlfriend.

"With my patient?"

Arizona watched the speculating thoughts begin to swim around in Callie's head. She looked away, and soon realized that the elevator was not the place for this conversation. "Do you have a minute? Because we shouldn't have this conversation here and I'm sorry I just said-"

"How about you tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Katherine Harper…Katie…she's my…" Arizona found that she was pulling the words out of herself. The final one, the important one that she lied to Callie about took a lot more work to finally get out, "Ex-girlfriend."

They had found an empty on call room after stepping out of the elevator, Arizona leading the way while Callie followed numbly behind. Once inside, Callie sat down on the bed and stared straight ahead with a blank expression on her face. Arizona leaned back against the door, chewing on her bottom lip as she watched Callie's face for any sign of emotion. The talk regarding the exes had come up between them before. Arizona, of course, knew about Erica through gossip, and soon found out about George and Mark. She, too, had told Callie about her past, but never in detail. The only thing Arizona ever offered up about Katie was that they broke up and then she moved to Seattle. Callie now realized there was much, much more to it than that.

"How did you know she was here?" Callie asked suddenly, looking over at Arizona. "You were supposed to be leaving…"

"Lexie paged me because…Katie asked for me," Callie flinched a little when Arizona said Katie's name, but she moved forward regardless. "I'm sorry that this is all happening in this way. Honestly, I was never really expecting to see her again."

"Why?"

This was the tricky part.

"When I broke up with her," she began slowly. "I never, really, broke up with her. I just…left…and came here."

Callie looked away from Arizona instantly. "You…left?" she echoed. Arizona tilted her head and dipped her body slightly so she could get a look at Callie. She was focusing on her hands that were folded together, knuckles white and strained from the firm grip she held. She shook her head slightly and chanced a look back up to Arizona. Callie couldn't even make it to her face, not really knowing who the person in the room with her was anymore.

"You left someone, like that, and never told me," Callie added, the thought seeming so impossible in her head that she had to put it out there for it to make any kind of sense. "How could you do that…?"

Arizona searched for something, anything, but could only mutter, "It's…complicated."

It caused something to stir inside Callie whose brown eyes darted quickly, harshly, to Arizona's. She had never seen a look like this in Callie's eyes. It was a mixture of pain, sadness, and anger. Mostly anger. "You lied to me, and now you can't even explain yourself," she laughed, but it was a harsh laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "All those times we talked, and I opened up to you about Erica and what she did…

"I never thought you'd be the person that could do that to somebody."

"I'm not," Arizona rushed in, pulling a chair from a corner and sitting in it so she was right in front of Callie. "That's not the kind of person I am, and I wish I could explain it but…I can't go there."

Callie nodded, "So, not only do I discover that you're a liar and that you're capable of abandoning someone, but also you can't open up to me about any of this."

"Calliope-"

"After everything I shared with you," Callie cut in, her tone growing higher and harsher with each word. "I've hid nothing from you."

"I'm sorry," Arizona offered, but Callie lost interest when her pager started going off.

"It's your girlfriend," She muttered sourly without a look at Arizona. "She's probably gonna need surgery. I have to go."

With that, Callie stood up and left, slamming the door on the way out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (4/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she arrived in Seattle.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 4**

Arizona had been standing outside Katie's room for several minutes. There was too much going on in her head right now. She was more worried about Callie and what she was going to say, but at the same time she owed Katie an explanation as well. Arizona was just at a loss, and she knew that she had to do this before the surgery.

When she came up to the room, Lexie had told Arizona that she was getting an OR and they were going in soon, so she didn't have that much time. She thought she was ready, she even made a step towards the door, but then Katie looked out the small, rectangular window and locked eyes with Arizona. She froze again and watched as the green eyes shifted slightly to the right.

"We're taking her down in a few minutes," Callie said quietly, keeping her eyes ahead of her as Arizona looked to her left. "The scans showed that the break was worse than I initially thought, but she should be fine."

"I need to talk to her," Arizona told Callie with a firm nod. "And, I know we need to talk too, but I have to talk to her before the surgery."

Callie continued to staring ahead, trying to push all the emotions she was feeling aside. These weren't the thoughts that should be going through her head as she prepared for surgery, but this situation wasn't exactly like any other. "I have to get in there," Callie replied. "I have to get her down there as soon as the OR is ready."

"Please," Arizona barely whispered, turning away from Callie and looking into Katie's room. "When we talk, when I have the chance to fix this…I have to fix things with her to fix things with you."

"Fine," Callie sighed.

Before Arizona could think about something to say, Callie walked away. Taking a deep breath, Arizona walked the extra steps to Katie's room and entered. She had no idea what she was going to say, but saying it out loud made her realize that she was doing this to ultimately move on and fix things with Callie. Katie watched her shuffle, look around, open her mouth before closing it almost right away, and all the other things that Arizona did when she was nervous.

It was oddly comforting to know that the person she knew wasn't completely gone.

"Dr. Torres says I'm going into surgery pretty soon," she said, breaking the silence. "If you have something you wanna say…"

"I'm sorry," Arizona told her as she crossed her arms and shook her head in frustration. "I should've at least told you, but…that's all I got. I don't know what to say."

"You don't know what to say?" Katie asked incredulously. "You're kidding, right? We've known each other since high school, we fell in love, moved in together, and we were starting to plan our future then you leave. You may not know what to say, Ari, but 'I'm sorry' is not gonna cut it."

Her mouth hung open for a bit and a tiny spark of anger flickered in her eyes. Katie leaned back as those blue eyes turned a darker shade and bore into her harshly. "I…hate it…when you call me Ari," she responded slowly.

"What?"

"I've told you, so many times, that I don't like that," Arizona continued, finding it easy now to figure out what to say. "My name is Arizona, and I hate when you call me Ari. I had to keep telling you to stop, over and over, and I'm still doing it…

"That's why I left."

Katie's eyebrows shot up, "Because I called you Ari?"

"No, well…yes, but that's just part of it," Arizona began. "I dealt with it because I loved you, but I hated that you called me that and…you always talked during movies. You know, you'd ask what was going to happen when we were both seeing it for the first time. You're a terrible and very annoying backseat driver. You always made me drive, but you wouldn't ever…let me drive-"

"So, you're saying these little, trivial things," Katie paused to laugh, still not understanding what Arizona was saying. "They justify you leaving without a word."

Arizona shook her head, "I ultimately left because I was settling with you, Katie. I always had that fairytale idea of love. You know, that when you found the right person you would just…know. Then I grew up. I dated and dated and I lost some hope…until you finally told me that you wanted more from me."

Katie couldn't help but smile at the memory, "So what changed?"

"I thought it would work," Arizona answered honestly. "We were already friends…I thought that was the hard part, you know…I did fall in love with you, but there was always something...off. Getting that phone call…about Danny…"

The sound of Arizona saying her brother's name out loud caused her train of thought to derail. Katie didn't push. She knew it was hard for Arizona, even if she didn't see it for herself. She had been close to that family though for a long time and knew the mixture of feelings that surrounded the Robbins' household when Danny announced he was joining the army after high school.

"You left before I could ever tell you how sorry I was," Katie brought up, forgetting for a moment that anything bad had happened between them. "You're parents told me that…it was like a switch was flipped with you. It's something that I used to ultimately put the anger and hurt behind me."

Arizona nodded, "It was like a switch, Katie. I realized how short life was…that's why I left, and I don't regret it."

"You still should have said something to me," Katie sighed. "You can't shut out parts of your life-"

"I meant to call," Arizona cut in. "I did…and when I got here it was for work. You know, I didn't even start dating anyone for a while…I just focused on my career, and time passed and I didn't know what to say."

"Anything," Katie shot back. "Anything would have been better than nothing. We were planning a life together and then…"

"I'm sorry," Arizona repeated with a shrug. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything…I wasn't strong enough…to say anything, and I regret that. I do…but I'm not sorry I left."

"Because you came here and fell in love?" Katie scoffed.

"I didn't expect to meet anyone," Arizona told her. "I was just as surprised at the effect Calliope has on me. She's…amazing. She's a great doctor, an amazing person, and things aren't always easy. They didn't start easy, and we've been through so much already."

She watched as Arizona drifted into her own world at the mere thought of Callie. She wasn't lying when she said they had problems, they did, but she was in love. It was the love she wanted with Katie, the love she thought would come with time, but just ended up coming natural with Callie.

Now, it might be over. She started seeing herself through Callie's eyes. Arizona had lied, by omission, but still a lie. She had abandoned someone. It was going to take a lot of work to get through to Callie, to make her understand that she may have made these mistakes but she wasn't that person.

"I screwed up," Arizona said in disbelief. "I knew she had been lied to and left…I should have told her, and I should have told you so…I'm sorry."

Neither knew what else to say. Katie knew she should have felt satisfied because now Arizona's life was a mess, but she couldn't. She found some comfort in Arizona's explanation and apology, but she never expected to ruin her life. She knew the devastation that could be caused, and now she was unintentionally a part of it.

The door opened and they both watched as Callie stepped in. "We're ready for the surgery," she said quietly, keeping her eyes on the chart. Arizona kept watching her before looking back over at Katie. She took in a deep breath and gave a firm nod before heading towards the door behind Callie.

"Arizona?" Katie called out. This time both Callie and Arizona looked back at her. "I forgive you."

There was still a lot to deal with, but Arizona smiled despite the problems surrounding her. She cleared her throat loudly as she paused at the door and shifted her gaze to Callie. "Will you page me when you're done?" she asked softly.

Still not being able to look at her, Callie gave her a sharp nod and made her way towards Katie while Arizona reluctantly left the room. Katie let out a long breath as Callie began checking her vitals and preparing for the surgery. "So…should I be asking for a different surgeon, Dr. Torres?" Katie asked lightly.

Callie smiled despite herself, "Do you want another surgeon?"

"Well, according to Ari," Katie stopped herself, realizing that Arizona was right about certain things. "According to Arizona, you're a great doctor. I think you'll take care of me."

"I will," Callie said firmly. She opened her mouth before quickly shutting it again. The curiosity, she hated to admit, was getting to her. She should be focusing on the surgery, not what her girlfriend had said to her ex-girlfriend. Katie met her eyes and knew that there was more to say.

"You're dying to know what happened, aren't you."

This time, Callie allowed herself to laugh, "Can you blame me?"

"No, when I put two and two together, I wanted to know more about you," she admitted. "But, it wasn't really my place to ask…just like it's not my place to tell what happened. Arizona should do that."

"It's just…" Callie started; amazed that conversation was coming so naturally with this person. "I was lied to. I was left. In a lot of ways, she helped me come back from that. I never thought she could be that person."

"She's not," Katie told her honestly. "I was expecting this different person, but she's not. She just…made a mistake. I didn't come here to mess anything up for her, I just wanted to talk."

"And forgive her, apparently," Callie criticized. "I don't know if I could be that understanding with my ex."

"Time helps," Katie supplied. "For a long time, I thought that I would never get my answers…and I was OK with that. Then…everything just kind of aligned itself, and I'm glad that I got to talk to her."

"Yeah?"

She nodded, "Arizona may have gone about things in…the worst way possible, but she was ultimately right: we weren't supposed to be together. It's funny…we were friends for so long, and I've never…been with…a woman."

Callie's eyebrows shot up, "Really?"

"Uh-huh," Katie chuckled. "She always told me…she'd never date newborns, or whatever."

"Did she?" Callie asked, trying to sound nonchalant but not coming across that way. "Huh."

Katie didn't miss it, "Arizona was your first, wasn't she?"

"Second," Callie supplied with a laugh. "Not that it's any of your business…or appropriate doctor-patient conversation."

"I've come to accept that my stay at this hospital is going to be anything but appropriate," Katie played along. "Anyway, my point is to just…hear her out. She hasn't really changed that much, so, I know, from the way she looks at you and talks about you-"

"Yeah, I think it's time I get you down," Callie said, blushing slightly at Katie's words. She hadn't really known Callie for that long, but Katie could tell she was someone that wore her emotions on her sleeve. That's how she knew how much she loved Arizona. The hurt that was there from the lie, along with the hope that they could get past this, was written all over her face. Katie flashed a warm smile at her doctor.

It hadn't gone exactly how she wanted, or expected, but Katie had talked to Arizona and felt that closure she had yearned for. She could now, fully and freely, go on with her life. "You're the doctor," Katie pointed out. "You say jump, I jump."

"Bad analogy," Callie replied. "You're not gonna be jumping any time soon, but…I'm gonna take care of you."

Katie could admit to herself, when she put it together in her head, she didn't get them together. After talking to her for these few minutes and seeing that smile…she got it. "I don't doubt it," she told her as a few nurses and orderlies came into the room to help with the transport.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (5/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she arrived in Seattle.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Author's Note 2:** Sorry it took so long for this update. I was away for the weekend and didn't have as much time to write as I thought. I'm hoping to have another update by the end of the week. Also, wanted to thank everyone for following and reviewing the story. I'm very glad you like it and hope you continue to enjoy where it's going! Thanks!

**Chapter 5**

The words on the chart before her blurred together and she brought her hand up to rub her eyes. Arizona blinked a few more times and shook her head, trying to rid the worrying thoughts from her brain, as she looked back down at the chart. Not remembering where she left off, she started at her initial notes but frowned when they held a sense of familiarity from being read several times before.

Arizona was now glad that she had decided to review her charts as opposed to seeing patients while she waited for word on Katie's surgery. She wouldn't be doing anyone any good with everything going on inside her head. A part of her thought of going home and waiting for Callie's shift to end before she tackled their struggle, but thought better of it when Katie kept popping into her thoughts.

So, she was charting.

The table before was scattered with folders, papers, and scans of the kids on her floor. There were dozens of distractions for her and none of them could take over her mind. The door opened behind her and she inwardly winced at the eagerness she displayed as she turned to see who had entered.

It did not go unnoticed by Miranda Bailey.

"Expecting someone, Dr. Robbins?"

She shrugged and exhaled a deep breath as she turned away and said, "Callie's supposed to let me know how her surgery goes. It's not gonna be for a while though so…I'm trying to keep myself busy."

To demonstrate, she began writing something, anything, on a notepad as Bailey walked across the room to the coffee cart. The pot was nearly empty and, even though Arizona wasn't looking, she could see the Bailey's eyes rolling. Knowing she wasn't going to receive much sympathy from the other person in the room, Bailey quietly prepared another pot of coffee and pressed the brew button with as much force as she could muster.

Arizona continued scribbling away. "How's that working out for you?"

The pen in her hand ceased writing immediately and fell to the pad. She looked up with a sad smile and slumped her shoulders. "Should I tell you what's going on or assume you know something?"

"Now you know I don't participate in gossip," Bailey shot back. "However, that does not always mean that I don't hear things."

"So…you know."

"About your ex?" Bailey clarified with raised eyebrows. "Being operated on by your current girlfriend?"

Arizona shook her head in disbelief at the situation she was in and that a lot of people now, apparently, knew about. "I can't focus on…anything," She said out loud, looking down at her notes and not being able to decipher what she wrote. "I thought about leaving, but I owe Katie enough to stick around and see if she's OK. I'm being responsible and not treating anyone. So, I thought I could at least chart…but I just scribbled lines down. After the surgery, though, I-I don't know what to do because…cause I don't know what's going to happen."

Bailey flinched slightly at the pained look in Arizona's eyes. Her PEDS fellowship may not have worked out, but she did spend a lot of time with Arizona and knew that it would have to be a hell of a thing to cause the sadness that clouded her normally bright, blue eyes. Even during the toughest and most terminal cases, she had never seen this look on Arizona before.

Searching deep down inside herself, Bailey looked for a rousing speech, something to help Arizona get back to her positive attitude. The last thing that she said, however, was the only thing resonating with Bailey. "None of us know what's going to happen," she echoed. "I don't know all the details, because it's none of my business, but I know it's big if it's got you looking like…" she waved her arm out in front of her, stalling, and trying to find a nice way to describe Arizona's demeanor but failing. "What I do know is that you two have been through…a lot…and, you love each other. Sometimes, that's not always enough, but…

"Sometimes it is."

Arizona allowed herself a small and genuine smile, "I hope it is."

The aroma of freshly made coffee filled the room and Bailey took the fresh pot and filled her cup. Arizona put her own problems aside momentarily and took the other doctor in. She knew how hard this whole year had been; not just with the aspirations of the PEDS fellowship, but also the achieving it and then having to give it back just as quickly. There were so many other things happening to her, but Bailey had been so excited for this new challenge and now it was gone. It was written all over Bailey's face, but only to those who really knew her.

Arizona liked to think that she was one of the rare people that got a glimpse into the heart of Miranda Bailey and, through her own pain right now, she allowed her heart to break just a little for her former protégée. "I hope it is for you, too, one day," Arizona added as Bailey continued preparing her coffee. "Love, I mean. I hope you find someone where it's enough."

A firm nod was all she received in response, and Arizona wasn't really expecting anything more. "I hope you're going to go over those charts later," Bailey motioned to the work in front of Arizona as she passed the table and headed towards the exit. "When you're in a better frame of mind."

Another smile played at her lips before disappearing at the realization that she was, again, subjected to only her thoughts. It wasn't for too long, however, because the door opened behind her another time. The eagerness that she had cursed earlier was still prevalent, but rewarded with being right this time. Callie remained in the door frame and forced herself to look up at her expectant girlfriend. Too wrapped up in her own anxiousness, Arizona failed to fully take in Callie's overall form.

"How'd it go?"

_**Fifteen Minutes Ago…**_

The shock of what had just happened froze Callie as she scrubbed out of surgery. She patted her hands dry with a towel before violently throwing it into the bin. With a heavy sigh, she leaned back against the sink and buried her face in her hands. So many thoughts were swimming through her head, but there was only one that remained front and center:

Katie was dead.

The door to the scrub room slid open and Owen stepped in and took off his mask. Callie looked over and was met with a sympathetic look before she turned away and started wringing her hands together. Owen finished washing off and patting dry his hands before disposing of his towel and leaning against the sink next to Callie. He was close enough so that their arms were barely grazing, but didn't want to push his luck too much.

He took in a deep breath before saying, "There wasn't anything we could do."

"I know," she shot back irritably. "I know…the damage was too…and now…"

Owen waited, not wanting to interrupt any process Callie was going through. He had been paged into the surgery, one of the arteries in her leg had gotten severed and the bleeding was too severe, and they both exhausted all their efforts. He didn't know all the details but he knew what Callie was carrying on her shoulders was more than the burden of losing her patient.

"How am I supposed to tell Arizona?" Callie asked, not really addressing Owen, just processing out loud. "Right now, she's waiting for me to page her to tell her about this routine surgery…on her ex-girlfriend…who she abandoned, by the way…abandoned the same way that Erica left me. We've only talked about it a few times, but she listened…she gave me advice, she…comforted me, and that whole time she was this person who left someone…" She finally looked over at Owen who was now staring anywhere but at her. "I'm doing that thing where I say too much again."

"You are," Owen agreed. "But I've come to realize that you think out loud. In this situation, that's OK."

"I didn't know how I was going to talk to her about this," Callie continued. "You know, when this was just a surgery that I've done a thousand times, I didn't know how I was gonna be able to hear her explanation, her excuse, for just leaving someone. How do I tell her that I just killed her ex-girlfriend?"

"You didn't kill her, for starters," he told her. "That's what you have to focus on. Her injuries were too severe and she succumbed to them."

"I know how to give her the medical reasons," Callie replied. "I don't know how to tell her and then have things be OK."

"Well, chances are, things aren't going to be OK," he said honestly, earning him an incredulous look from Callie, but he pressed on. "This is a messy situation, Torres. It's a hurdle…and one hell of a hurdle, I admit, but if you two love each other you'll get over it. It's just gonna take time."

"Time," Callie mused, looking away from him again. "I have to go tell her now."

Callie pushed herself away from the sink, away from Owen, and paused at the door, her hand hovering over the handle. "Right now," she started quietly. "Arizona's probably in the lounge, charting, because she's anxious and can't think about anything else other than the surgery or what's going to happen with us."

Owen had come to know both these women fairly well and, even though her back was turned, he nodded along with her knowing she was right.

"Now I get to go turn her world upside down."

The journey to the doctor's lounge Arizona usually hid out in took less time than Callie would have liked, despite the things she did to keep herself from arriving too soon. She paused at the door, took a deep breath, then opened it and immediately saw Arizona's expectant face. Involuntarily, she looked down at the floor. She mentally chastised herself before slowly looking up to meet Arizona's gaze.

"How'd it go?"

Callie was hoping her body language would speak for her, but Arizona was too restless to absorb anything other than words at this point. She opened and closed her mouth several times, failing to find the right words to tell Arizona this awful news. The longer she waited, the more reality began to dawn on Arizona.

"Calliope?" Arizona urged, a sense of dread underlying Callie's name.

"I'm…so sorry," she whispered. "There was a complication…"

Callie continued talking, but Arizona didn't hear anything beyond the word 'complication.' She was a doctor, a surgeon; she knew exactly what had happened. The guilt from abandoning her former girlfriend was an easy feeling to push aside as time went by, but now it was surrounding her and sucking all the air out of the room.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Callie closed the door and slowly made her way over to the table. Through all this, she gave the medical explanation of how Katie died. She crouched down in front of Arizona's chair and reached her hand out to touch her knee.

Arizona flinched at the contact, and Callie drew her hand back.

"Arizona," Callie sighed, but didn't press any further as Arizona shook her head.

There should have been tears, but Arizona found none. She knew she would find them in Callie's eyes so she chose not to meet Callie's worried gaze. Callie got up and took the seat closest to her girlfriend. If she couldn't give Arizona any physical comfort, she was at least going to make sure she was close by.

Unless… "Do you want to be alone?" She didn't want to ask the question, and hoped the answer was no. Despite the grief, she felt a little better when she saw Arizona shake her head.

"Can we just sit here?" Arizona asked, her voice barely managing its way out of her mouth. "I just…wanna sit her."

Even though Arizona wasn't looking at Callie, she saw her nod out of the corner of her eye. She honestly thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, but now Katie was…gone. Her eyes flickered to her watch and she realized it was after 5AM. Four hours ago, she was making fun of Callie for the stupid New Year's Eve kiss countdown, now…

Now the one thought, the one question, running through her head: was their love enough to get them through this?


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (6/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she arrived in Seattle.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 6**

Arizona let out a deep sigh as her eyes glanced up and did another scan of the hospital cafeteria. The anxiety was almost too much for her to bear. She didn't know why she chose the cafeteria; she wasn't hungry and didn't expect this meeting to be longer than a few minutes, if she was lucky. She had gotten a water, mostly so she had something to do with her hands. A frown had pasted itself on her face, however, when she looked down at the shredded label that littered the table.

After a few sweeps of her hands, she collected the scraps into one pile and set them to the side of the table. This is what Arizona did when she was nervous; it was common knowledge to people who knew her well, so why was she so embarrassed by the flaw?

The past three days seemed like nothing compared to what she was about to face. She should have just dealt with it the morning after Katie's surgery and gotten it out of the way, but she chickened out. Arizona was just at a loss of what to say, especially after the history she had with Katie. The only positive, glimmer of hope she held on to was the fact that she gave Katie her closure before she died.

With no more paper to shred off of her water bottle, Arizona settled for drumming her fingers as she breathed out again and took yet another sweep of the cafeteria for, what had to be, the fiftieth time in the past fifteen minutes. This time, though, she actually caught the eyes of the woman she was waiting for.

A massive lump developed in her chest as her breath hitched in her throat. She broke eye contact as soon as the other woman began making her way to the table where Arizona was seated. Her attention was focused solely on her hands as she gave herself a little pep talk to try to remain calm and sympathetic, even though she knew this was going to end badly no matter how well she was going to be able to hand le the situation.

"Arizona," the voice was cold as the woman took the seat opposite her, but she wasn't expecting anything more or less from Katie's sister.

"Hi, Elena," she responded meekly. "Did you want something to eat, or-"

"I just want to get this over with," Elena cut in as she crossed her arms over her chest. "There are a lot of preparations to be done."

Arizona nodded, "Well if you need any help…"

She let the sentence drop off at the sight of Elena's mouth forming a tight line. "I think you've done enough for my sister," she said quietly. "Don't you agree?"

Ignoring the pain that the verbal jabs were causing, Arizona tried to begin the speech she had mentally prepared, "Right…well, I just wanted to thank you for meeting me here-"

"The only reason why I'm meeting you is because I had to sign some hospital forms," she corrected. "And I'd really like to just get this over with, so spare me your condolences and any other apologies you may have and get to the point."

Arizona tried to keep her composure, but the weight of Elena's words and Katie's death pushed down on her shoulders. She didn't know why she felt so let down by Katie's sister, she hadn't expected anything less, but the reality of it was what she had dreaded the most. With that in mind, she decided to cut to the chase, "I wanted to know when the service was going to be…for Katie. I wanted to be there, and I wanted to see if that was OK with you."

A smile started forming on Elena's lips, but Arizona noticed how it didn't reach her eyes. "After everything you did, you think you have a right to be there?" she laughed angrily.

Arizona shook her head, "I'm not assuming I have a right to be there…I'm asking if I can be there."

Elena fixed her with a hard gaze before replying, "I can't keep you from going to the church or the graveyard, so…" she paused to sigh, and Arizona took the opportunity to really see the toll that Katie's death had taken. She knew she should have stayed and met her when she came to claim the body…Katie…but she was so wrapped up in her own problems and grief that she couldn't face her.

"I'm taking her home tomorrow," Elena begrudgingly told her. "The service is the day after, so…that's that."

She pushed herself away from the table and went to leave, but Arizona held her hand up. "Elena," she began with a pleading tone. "I know you don't want to hear this, and I'm not expecting you to accept it, but I am so…very sorry."

There was a glimmer of acknowledgment behind Elena's eyes, eyes that were the exact same as Katie's. It was gone just as soon as it had presented itself. So fast that Arizona could have just as easily imagined it to ease her guilt, but it brought a small amount of hope none the less. "You're welcome to pay your respects," Elena stated as she turned to walk away. "But don't think that anyone wants you there, because you'd be wrong."

Arizona watched as Elena moved swiftly to the doors that led to the hospital and caught sight of another person who she was dreading to see. Callie held the door open for Elena, oblivious to who she was letting through until they locked eyes. Elena was quick to breeze through, however, and Callie's face contorted into a wince as she entered the cafeteria and caught Arizona's gaze.

They hadn't seen each other since the lounge.

Time froze when they sat together, neither knowing what to say or where to start given the new circumstance. After a half hour of silence and looking at every part of the room except where the other sat, Arizona stood up, mumbled something about needing time, and then made a swift exit.

Looking in the mirror that morning, Arizona saw the toll that three days without Callie had taken on her. She saw it on Callie, too, who started making her way towards the table. As soon as she started moving, Arizona stood and gathered her belongings, trash and all, and met Callie half way.

"Hey," Callie offered gently, instinctively reaching out to Arizona but stopping just as soon. "Talking with Katie's sister, huh?"

Arizona sighed, taking one step back when Callie reached out, "Yeah, I wanted to find out when the, uh…the funeral, you know…"

"Oh," Callie exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up as well. "You're going?"

"I want to," Arizona replied, frowning at her choice of words before clarifying. "I mean…I should. I owe her that, but…Elena's not too thrilled about the idea."

Silence took over for a few moments. Arizona shifted uncomfortably while Callie kept her eyes fixed on the blonde. She had given her space, Callie knew this was a tough situation and time was needed, but she needed something. She had no idea what she needed, but three days of not knowing where you stand was wearing thin on her.

"You know," Callie began cautiously. "I was hoping…maybe we could…talk?"

Arizona returned her look, giving Callie a second to see the hurt and confusion in the usually bright blue eyes. Today, however, they were clouded and shiny from the tears she needed to cry but refused. "Elena said they're taking Katie home," she said, looking away again. "I'm gonna talk to the chief and try to get a couple more days off."

"To go home," Callie filled in, trying to mask the disappointment in her tone and failing. "Back to Baltimore."

"Just for a couple days," Arizona nodded. "I've got some planning to do…I have to call my parents…I just don't have the time to…talk…"

This was an impossible situation, Callie knew that, but she was stuck between knowing what Arizona needed from her and what she wanted to give. "Can I call you when you're there?"

Arizona let out a frustrated sigh in response, and Callie begged, "I know…I know that you're hurting, and there's a lot we need to talk about, but I just…I want to do something for you, Arizona, and I…

"I don't know what to do."

"You're doing it," Arizona told her, trying to soften her tone and pausing to find the right words. "You're giving me time, and I wish that we could talk…that we could fix this, but I can't right now. I can't."

Biting her lower lip, Callie nodded and looked away from Arizona for the first time since she came to her. Arizona closed her eyes, hating to see Callie this hurt and not being able to do anything about it and, worse, being partly the cause of it.

"Will you call me?" Callie asked, still looking down at the floor. "Or…text…when you get there? When you're coming home? Something?"

Arizona wanted to push everything away, all the thoughts and guilt, and just pull Callie towards her. She wanted so desperately to feel her body against her own. It had been so long since they had just spent time together, holding each other, that Arizona almost forgot how it felt.

Instead, she took another step back. When Callie met her eyes again, Arizona offered a small smile. It was all she could muster. "I'll let you know that I'm safe," she assured her before turning and walking away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (7/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she showed up.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 7**

After making her way down the distantly familiar stairs, Arizona had two directions to choose from. The one way was towards the kitchen, where her mother was waiting for her; the other was the porch, the direction in which she could hear the cigarettes in her jacket pocket urging her to choose. She rationalized that she told her mother she would join her in the kitchen, for the chat she was avoiding, after she had gotten ready and decided that she was not ready till she had a cigarette.

Her mother must have been cooking, because the clanging of pots masked the sound of her opening the screen door and seating herself on the top of the three steps that led to her house. She hadn't smoked this much in years; she didn't really feel that urge that came along with the sense of trouble that usually fueled the craving. It helped that her and Callie's fights were mostly minor compared to what they had dealt with at the start of their relationship.

The ritual of smoking under these circumstances has never failed to calm her nerves, even after all this time. She remembered being caught smoking and having to smoke a cigarette before dealing with her father. Arizona placed the cigarette in her mouth, taking a second to enjoy the menthol taste that would cling to her lips for a while, before patting her coat pockets as she searched for her lighter.

"Dammit," she mumbled, realizing that her lighter must be upstairs in her purse.

"Need a light?"

The voice left Arizona frozen in her spot. She heard the footsteps approach and turned to the left and saw her father's boats take a step down as he lowered himself on the seat next to her. She couldn't bring herself to look up into her father's eyes and chose to just watch as he reached inside his pocket and produce a lighter. She flinched at the click before the flame captured her gaze. "Aren't you going to give me a speech?"

Still not looking into his eyes, she noticed his mouth twitch into a smirk. "You're in your thirties now, Arizona," He chuckled. "While I still reserve the right to give you speeches, I think smoking is out of my control."

Lowering her head slightly, the flame met the end of the cigarette and she breathed in. Arizona tried to hide the enjoyment that first drag brought her before letting out the smoke. Through that light fog, she finally looked into her father's eyes and saw that he was still smirking. "Are you gonna tell mom?"

"Only if I wanna bring you down with me," he replied as he took out his own pack. "It's only once or twice here and there, anyway."

Arizona felt herself smile for the first time in days as she watched her father light his own cigarette. "You're shocked," he stated in a light tone.

"Well, all those times I was grounded for getting caught smoking are flashing through my head," she playfully shot back. "And all this time-"

"Parents hate watching their children make the same mistakes they made," he cut in before lighting the cigarette, inhaling, and then blowing out smoke circles. Arizona laughed at her father's trick as he blew out the last of his smoke and continued, "Besides, you were just a kid when I caught you. I was angrier that you caved into peer pressure than anything else. I was more upset with Danny, truthfully. If you hadn't seen him smoking, then…"

It's happened so many times before, yet they all stopped anytime anyone of them mentioned his name. Years later and the name was still taboo. Instead of addressing it, she took another drag and turned her face away from her father. "You still have to look away when someone says his name," it was another statement from her father, but this one was filled with disappointment. "What happens when you get a patient, a little boy, whose name is Danny, Arizona?"

"That's not the same…" she fought back, but let the sentence trail as she brought the cigarette back up to her lips. "It's not the same."

"What's different?" he asked gently, sensing that he needed to prod her as opposed to force her into this conversation, which was years overdue in his opinion. She turned back allowing her father to see her eyes as she avoided his again. She took another drag and her father sighed, "I don't understand why you can't talk about this with your own parents, Arizona. I know you moved on, you had to after all this time, but this is the first time we've seen you since…

"I just want to understand why you shut us out of your life."

"It's different here," Arizona began slowly, choosing her words carefully. "Here is where we grew up. Here is where I see his face because you and mom have plastered the walls with pictures of us ever since we were little. Here is where the flag seems to be laughing at me because you mounted it right over the fireplace. Here is like entering some time warp, because when you and mom talk about Danny you talk like he's still over there. Like you're waiting for him to come home and that's why it's different. That's why I left, because I couldn't act like I was waiting for him to come home."

Her father took it all in, his eyes never leaving her, and he, too, took some time to choose how to reply. It felt like a lifetime had passed, but really it was the amount of time to smoke their cigarettes, before he spoke, "I didn't raise you to push your feelings aside, Arizona."

"Dad-"

He held up his hand and she stopped instantly. "You said what you had to say, now I get to," he explained quickly before continuing with his point. "Your mother and I don't like to travel. We moved around so much when you and Danny were kids that when I finally got a permanent position your mom told me she was perfectly content to never go anywhere else. Sure, we go visit her brothers and sisters, go on little trips every now and again, but she never liked to travel. She said that I did enough traveling for the both of us and I agreed. So I don't know what you expect us to do…

"You left, and you had your reasons. Good reasons, but one of them should not be that," the last word was spat out. Arizona recognized the tone and felt herself shrinking back slightly, but her father had paused and taken a moment to soften. "We're not waiting for him to come home, we're honoring his memory. That's why we have the flag and the pictures. It's also why we have your pictures up. You left, Arizona, you didn't look back and I didn't know that when Danny left and didn't come back you were gonna do the same."

Arizona looked up to meet her father's gaze, but found him staring out at their lawn. "I know it was hard for you," he went on quietly, still looking away from her. "The hardest part was watching it change you. I know his death made you realize your life wasn't what you wanted it to be, but you didn't just leave the past, you abandoned it. Look what it took to get you to come back here after all this time."

The last sentence was followed by a bitter chuckle as he took the last drag and flicked the cigarette away. It was everything she hoped she never had to hear her father say, yet knew was inevitable. She kept looking at him, determined not to break away until his eyes met hers again. When they did, she had to force her gaze there, even through the disappointment. She knew exactly what she was doing when she left, but she pushed that down along with her grief over Danny.

All it took was someone from her past to let the old life seep into her new one. Making the decision to come home was making the decision to face her family, her father's discontent towards her actions. The stinging to her eyes was all it took for her to lose control. The tears flowed freely and her father pulled her into his chest immediately. She attempted to say something, but her sobs continued getting in the way. With each cry her body expelled, the tighter she was pulled into her father's embrace.

It was all coming out, everything she suppressed since Danny's death, along with the new grief over Katie's sudden death. The sobs continued to pour out of her body and she found it hard to catch her breath. Every time she tried her father squeezed her tighter, pulled her into himself more and more. Arizona wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the tears slowed and she matched her breathing to way her father rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry I let you down," she mumbled into his shirt.

He pulled back then, just slightly, and stooped his head down to meet her gaze. "You didn't let me down," he corrected. "I knew you would come around. I know who I raised; I just wish it didn't take another funeral to get you back here."

A few more moments passed with Arizona still leaning into her father as they both looked out at the view from the porch. They lived in a suburb on the top of a hill in their small, quiet neighborhood. The driveway met a street that curved down towards the other houses, spread evenly yet somehow haphazardly over the acres of land the sun was slowly making its way down towards. She remembered being in high school and realizing that she got to stay and actually complete her schooling in one place. Arizona immediately fell in love with the house and the idea of a permanent home; it was one of the hardest things she had to give up when she left. It had been so long since she felt that, not until…

"I guess I can see why mom doesn't want to go anywhere," she admitted shyly, the sentence acting as her own little peace offering.

"You know," he started cautiously, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze before continuing. "We were kind of hoping that you wouldn't have taken this trip out here alone."

"Dad!" she exclaimed, mortified.

"Don't 'Dad!' me," he replied, chuckling a little at his daughter's reaction. "You've been dating Callie long enough for us to meet her."

"You don't really bring current girlfriends back home to attend ex-girlfriend funerals," she retorted.

"Maybe you should come back another time, then," he suggested. "Soon?"

Arizona smiled at the thought. Despite leaving everything behind, there was always a part of her, deep down, that missed coming home for visits. "Well, we're both very busy attendings. I have my own department to run and-"

"And, if I know you, you've probably got a lot of time saved up," he interrupted. "Look, I'm not asking you to commit to any dates…I'm asking you to consider visiting more often…and bringing Callie."

She bit down on her lip and looked back at her father shyly, "You really wanna meet her?"

"Oh, you mean the only thing, besides work, that you'll talk to me and your mother on the phone about?" the response earned him a slight poke in the side and he merely laughed it off. "The way you talk about her…I haven't heard you that happy in a long time."

Thoughts of Callie brought an instant warmth and calm to Arizona; but, just as quickly as it came, it left and was replaced with doubt that there might not be a relationship when she got back. Her body must have tensed at the thought because her father was looking down at her with concern etched in his face. "I guess the recent events have been pretty hard on her."

She laughed bitterly at the observation from her father, "That's the understatement of the year," she remarked. "It's my own fault though, really. I told her about Katie, I just…omitted a lot of the details."

He nodded, understanding the idea of hiding the parts of yourself that you're not proud of even from people that you love. He didn't even have to look at his daughter to know she loved this woman, he heard it in her voice. He held on to that as she kept breaking further and further away from them, and merely found comfort that somehow she'd found happiness. "You love her."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway. "And how could she not love you," he continued, and matched the smile that had spread on her face. "That's all you need to know. None of the other stuff matters. It may cause problems, may bring up doubts, but there shouldn't be anything you can't get past."

"You make it sound so simple," Arizona mused, letting the words sink into her mind.

"When its right, it should be," he replied, bringing her in again and placing a kiss on top of her head. He let go and rose to stand on the steps. "I'm gonna see what your mother's fixing up. You're gonna squeeze in a meal with us before you run to the airport, right?"

"Yeah, I think I can fit you in," she joked as she went into her hand reached into her pocket. "I'm also gonna try to sneak another one of these, though. Can I hold on to your lighter?"

Her father retrieved the small piece of plastic and held it out for her. Their fingers grazed during the brief exchange and they both smirked before her father went back inside and Arizona lit up her second cigarette. She made this one quicker than the last. She was eager to go back in the house and spend a little more time with her parents, eager to fly back home and make things right with Callie, and eager to show the person she had become how to also be the person her father raised her to be.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (8/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she showed up.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 8**

The door to Joe's swung open and Mark stepped inside. He rubbed his hands together and brought them up to his mouth, blowing a few times to try to chase away the winter chill that seemed to cling to any exposed skin. Lowering his hands and letting out a sigh, Mark allowed his body one more shiver before her scanned the crowd at the bar. As usual, there were mostly hospital people there. He noticed Derek at a table with Meredith, and Karev along with a few of the Mercy West people whose names he couldn't bother to remember; but he was looking for someone in particular.

After a moment or two, he finally spotted the wavy, black hair. Mark made his way over and couldn't help but smirk as Callie threw back a shot of (what he could only assume) tequila and adding the shot glass to her growing collection on the bar. "Hey," he shouted over the music and crowd as he shrugged off his jacket and took the stool next to hers. "What's the occasion?"

"Suck it, Mark," was the slurred response he received as Callie motioned for Joe to give her another shot and add one on for her friend. The shots swiftly arrived and Callie raised hers off the bar, "To another perk of living across the street from the hospital: getting as drunk as you want and not having to worry about how you're getting home!"

Instead of picking up the shot as eagerly as Callie, Mark looked at her sympathetically and grasped her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Callie, already three sheets to the wind, shrugged his hand off and clinked her glass to his on the bar before downing her seventh shot.

"You know," he began, pausing momentarily to finally take his shot before he turned back to Callie. "Normally, I'm all for a wild, tequila-induced, crazy night…but, with roller girl out of town, and all this…stuff going on with you-"

"What makes you think this has anything to do with Arizona?" Callie cut in as she signaled to Joe for more drinks. "She's back home, dealing with her business…that's all. Who says I can't go out and have a good time while she's away?"

"Because she's not just visiting her parents, Torres," Mark retorted. "And this isn't fun drinking. This is…make all my problems go away drinking, or getting drunk enough to do something stupid drinking. It's not the kind of drinking you should be doing."

Callie sneered at his uncharacteristic logic, "Who are you, and what the hell did you do with Mark Sloan?"

"I'm a father now," he told her with a smirk. "Soon to be…grandfather. I'm allowed to be rational."

Callie grimaced, "That's gross to think about."

The shots arrived and Callie didn't waste any time. Mark took a little longer, but accepted the drink none the less. He sat back and observed his friend. He's seen her through so much since they've known each other, in many different ways, but this time was different. This wasn't a situation that anyone faced at any given day, so he was going through the motions as her best friend just as much as Callie was dealing with the issues.

"I know you're not used to me being the rational one, I get that," Mark started, not really sure where he was going but trusting in his concern for Callie to just let his mind think out loud. "But I know you. I know when you're hurting…and I know you don't always do the right thing when you're hurting…or confused, but…

"This is different, Torres."

Her brown eyes met his and, through the drunken haze, he did see some acknowledgment of what he was saying, "This isn't George, or Erica…this is Arizona. I know that you're scared and worried and…you're trying to be mature, and give her some space, I get that. But coming to Joe's every night and downing tequila…it's not gonna help you figure this out. It's just a temporary fix."

He smiled at her and returned his hand to the shoulder that she had knocked him off of. Callie smiled back, or tried to. Mark noticed that it didn't reach her eyes and, despite the best speech he had just decided (in his head) that he had ever given someone in need, she ordered another round from Joe.

"She sent me a text yesterday," Callie told him as her shot was presented in front of her. Her eyes turned away from Mark and became focused on the drink. "She let me know when she left, when she got back home, and when she was leaving but…she didn't tell me when she got back here so…"

"Callie-"

"She could've been back home for…who the hell knows how long, Mark," Callie harshly cut in. "This whole thing started with me being mad at her, you know. She lied to me, she…left someone…someone who I killed, and now she's the one who needs time…"

Callie looked back up at Mark when she spoke again, her voice cracking, "I was supposed to be the one…who needed time. I was supposed to be mad, and who had to adjust, but now…"

The thought trailed away as she stepped back from her friend and took her ninth shot of tequila.

"You didn't kill her," Mark said quietly, but there was a force behind his tone that he hoped Callie would hear. She stayed the same: her body hunched over the bar, eyes straight ahead, and a look of defeat on her face. The only movement was her hand sliding his shot in front of him.

Mark wrapped his fingers around the hand that still held the glass and pushed it back over towards her. "You need this one, kid," he said when her gaze flashed back to his face. "We'll call this the last one, and then I'll walk you home."

As Mark squeezed her hand, Callie blinked back tears that she promised herself she wouldn't cry. He let go of her hand and grabbed her coat off the back of her stool and held it up for her. Callie quickly took the last shot before turning and grabbing her coat from Mark. She slipped it on and watched as he put his on and smiled back at her. "You gonna tell me what's going on up there?" he asked, motioning to her head.

"It's just…" she paused, laughing at herself for what she was about to admit. "It's nice to know that I can count on you."

If it was possible, Mark's smile grew wider and he laughed along with Callie. "Just…try not to make a habit of being all…rational," she joked as Mark slipped his arm around her shoulders and led Callie to the door. "Promise me you're still gonna make man-whore comments about my relationship." Callie didn't seem to notice, but Mark was aware that she spoke of her relationship like everything was fine.

For her sake, Mark hoped like hell that everything would turn out that way.

"You got it."

***

Between the weather back East and a typical January in Seattle, Arizona was feeling as dead as her cell phone as she saw the familiar building come into view. It was almost midnight by the time the cab dropped her off at Callie's apartment. The logical thing would have been to go back to her building and call Callie, but the truth was, through everything that was happening, Arizona missed her girlfriend.

Outside the building, Arizona stood with her bag slung over her shoulder and looked up. She tried to think of what she was going to say, where she was going to start, but her mind came back with no answers. A shiver passed through her body and she tried to convince herself it was just the weather, but she knew better. Arizona took in a deep breath and exhaled as she made her way into the building.

Normally she would just take the stairs, too impatient to get to Callie to wait for the elevator; but this time she had baggage, both physical and emotional. For the first time, in a very long time, Arizona was facing the feelings that came along with receiving the news of her brother's death. Her relationship had been so focused on Callie's problems that Arizona didn't mind letting her issues take a back seat.

When she moved out to Seattle, Arizona wasn't planning on letting anyone know about who she was before. She held her brother's memory in her heart and convinced herself that's where it should stay, but then she met Callie. For Arizona, the feelings were strong instantly, which is why she tried to push Callie away. It was useless, though. The other woman had pushed through Arizona's walls, and she had found pieces of who she was resurfacing.

Arizona remembered when she talked of her brother, the need to let Callie know who she was overpowering the yearning she felt to keep her dark secrets hidden. After those few mentions of her brother and how she coped with her grief, Arizona was relieved that the topic had never been pushed. Now, after having everything blow up in her face, she wished she trusted Callie more with her past.

As she walked up to the familiar blue door, she dropped her bag and raised her hand to knock. Her nerves were getting the better of her as Arizona watched her hand shake slightly and felt a knot twisting in her stomach. Before she could talk herself out of this, she gave three firm knocks on the door and stepped back.

While she waited, and too much time passed by, it began to dawn on Arizona that Callie might not even be home. She mumbled a curse and began digging around in her bag for her keys. It might not have been ideal, letting herself into Callie's apartment and waiting to spring this important conversation on her girlfriend, but she couldn't turn away and go home now that she found the strength to face Callie.

The keys would be all the way at the bottom of her bag, she mused to herself. The sound of the door opening, however, snapped her head up. Her heart beat rang in her ears, but slowed at the sight before her. It was a possibility Arizona hadn't even expected.

"Christina," she moaned.

"Nice to see you too," Christina deadpanned right back. "Callie's not here."

"Terrific," Arizona shook her head as she picked up her belongings. "I'm just gonna wait inside-"

As Arizona walked forward, Christina propped her arm on the door. Arizona's eyes widened in response, but Christina kept her gaze fixed and intimidating. "Or not," Arizona sighed. "So…is there a reason why I can't some in?"

"Seriously?" she shot back. "You mean other than the obvious ones? I'm referring to the lying and abandoning, of course…"

"OK, fine, do you know where she is then?" Arizona asked. She barely had enough strength to face Callie, let alone deal with Christina. The other woman just shook her head. Arizona closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, but when she opened her eyes she realized Christina was laughing.

"And now this is funny," Arizona remarked.

"It is, a little. In a very, very twisted way," Christina clarified before continuing. "With all the relationship stuff that Callie has been put through, since I've known her, it would make sense that the one person she thinks she's happy with would be capable of-"

"You know what," Arizona cut in sharply. "I have made a lot of mistakes, OK. I'm not perfect, I never claimed to be…but doesn't it count for something that I'm here?" Christina couldn't help but notice how fast the anger in Arizona's tone morphed into pleading. "I just got off a plane, and I have my stuff with me because I didn't want to go home first…I wanted to come here. I had to come here and come clean, about everything…

"So…can you, please, tell me where she is?"

Christina knew she was giving Arizona a lot of crap, but she wasn't lying when she said Callie had been through a lot. They may not have been living together through the whole George fiasco; but, in ways, Christina always thought that Erica left a much bigger wound in just leaving without an explanation. That's why she was being so protective, but it counted that Arizona was here.

"I don't know where she is," she replied, enjoying seeing Arizona's body slump in disappointment for a moment before continuing. "But…she's not working tonight, so she's probably at Joe's. She's been going there…a lot." Arizona winced at this as Christina went on, "Anyway, you should, um, wait…in here. I was heading to the hospital so…whatever."

"Thanks," Arizona replied slowly as she moved forward. Christina had reentered the apartment and was putting on her coat as Arizona dropped her belongings near the couch. She looked back and watched as Christina was ready to go and called out when her hand touched the door.

"I don't know what to say to her," Arizona admitted and looked away when Christina turned. "I've had nothing but time to think about what I could say…and I have nothing."

Christina looked around the apartment before bringing a finger up to point at herself, "And you're asking me…what to say?"

"You're the only one here," she said, motioning towards Christina. "And you care about Callie, in your own way, so…yes; I am asking you for your…advice."

Choosing to ignore how much effort it took the blonde to actually force out the words, Christina took a moment to think before shrugging, "You tell her what happened. You tell her how what you did was the only option you had at the time. You tell her the truth."

"And…that's what you would do?"

"I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place-"

"Christina," Arizona pleaded.

She considered it; Christina considered the kind of person who she was and ran through her conversations with her boyfriends and realized that, eventually, it was something she did. That she had to do, too. "That's what you have to do."

With that, she left and shut the door behind her. Arizona sat on the arm of the couch and hung her body in defeat. She let Christina's words sink and laughed to herself. The people in Callie's life, on the surface, didn't really seem like the best people to go to for relationship advice. Now she knew that looks were deceiving.

The idea that she now had to wait around for Callie to come home, possibly drunk, brought her nerves front and center. Arizona sighed and made her way into the kitchen. There was a bottle of wine already on the counter and she grabbed a glass and poured only a couple sips worth, but she threw it back in one gulp. She immediately poured another glass, a lot fuller this time, and brought it up to her mouth when the door opened. She froze instantly, the glass at her lips, and watched with wide, scared eyes as Callie slowly walked over to the counter.

Arizona tipped the glass back, swallowing the whole amount in few gulps before lowering the empty glass and looking up at Callie, "Hi."

***

**Author's Note 2:** I'm sure everyone hates me for ending this here, but I'm gonna be snowed in tomorrow so I have plenty of time for writing and will hopefully get the next chapter (which may or may not be the end) by Wednesday night or sometime Thursday.

I also wanted to thank everyone for reading and leaving such awesome comments. I'm really glad you guys like it, and sorry about the spacing of updates. I actually had the 7th Chapter written and that's why I got to put that up so quickly. That chapter was actually the first thing I wrote when I came up with this idea and then I went back and started from the beginning and here we are!

Again, thanks so much for appreciating this. It means a lot because it is the first thing I've actually written, let alone shared, in a few years, so…thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (9/?)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she showed up.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 9**

Callie let out a deep, frustrated sigh as she waited for the elevator with Mark. Her head dropped to his shoulder and he turned down and looked at her with raised eyebrows. His arm was still around her shoulders, supporting her, and she had her arm slinked around his waist. Sure, there were many shots of tequila, and Callie was known to hold he liquor quite well, but the weight of everything together just exaggerated her inebriation.

"I miss her," Callie blurted and placed a pout on her face. "I used to be this…strong…independent woman and now…I miss her."

"You don't think you're those things anymore?" Mark asked, genuinely shocked by her self assessment. "Because you miss her?"

The elevator doors opened, and Mark and Callie couldn't help jumping slightly at the sight of Christina. Taking in the closeness of her roommate and, she hated to admit, neighbor Christina smirked as a greeting. "Heading to the hospital?" Callie observed, but couldn't hide the evidence that she had been drinking in her tone.

Christina's smirk turned into a snigger. "This is gonna be good," she muttered as she stepped off the elevator. Callie turned before stepping on to the elevator and grabbed Christina's arm, fixing her with a questioning glare. She turned back in response and breathed out with a roll of her eyes before elaborating her thought that she let slip through her mouth, "She's upstairs."

Callie's arm dropped limply from Christina's right before the doors slid shut. Mark's full attention was on Callie and he unconsciously pulled her to him a little closer. "You know," he began slowly. "I know you're a little…well, you've had some tequila. So, if you're not ready for this-"

"No," she cut in harshly, pulling away slightly. "I can't go another day with this…uncertainty…I can't."

The elevator arrived at their floor, and Mark waited for Callie to make the first move. She, however, remained where she stood with wide, panicked eyes. The doors began to slide shut, but Mark held his free hand out and held them open.

"OK," he started. "I'm right across the hall. Keep that in your head, if it gets too much. I'm not going anywhere."

With a sudden burst of motivation and courage, Callie broke free from Mark and b-lined straight for her apartment. She stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind her, pausing with her hand on the door handle for just a moment when her eyes fell on Arizona's bag propped against the couch. She heard some slight movement coming from the kitchen and walked slowly around the small wall that separated the kitchen from the front door.

Arizona had a full glass of wine to her mouth, pausing slightly at Callie's presence before pouring the whole thing back. "Hi," Arizona offered meekly as she set the now empty glass on the kitchen counter. Callie opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Her eyes, which had been locked on Arizona since she came into her vision, broke away and looked down at the wine bottle. She noticed the level was down slightly and was a little relieved that Arizona might be as drunk as Callie.

As she stepped forward, noticing how the room shifted slightly in a way that only alcohol could do, she realized that her first assessment may be slightly off. Arizona remained where she was, torn between not wanting to push and still not knowing how or where to start. Through her drunken haze, Callie moved forward. She crossed across the room and met Arizona behind the kitchen counter.

Arizona watched Callie closely, suspecting she had a few drinks before coming here based on her chat with Christina. What she wasn't expecting was Callie's sudden movements. In an instant, Callie had grabbed Arizona by the waist and pulled her body towards her own. Before either of them could stop and think about what was happening, Callie's mouth crashed down onto Arizona's.

For a moment, Arizona's eyes were wide with shock. They scanned quickly over Callie's face, but soon closed when Callie tightened her grip and pushed herself further into the kiss. It never took that much for Arizona to lose herself in the sensation that Callie's mouth had on her own. She kissed back, taking time to revel in the feel of Callie's body and mouth against her for the first time in almost a week.

At the same time, both women opened their mouths to deepen the kiss. They were so in sync that it scared both women in certain ways that they had really yet to explore, which is why Arizona pulled away but not quite out of Callie's grasp. Arizona had brought her hands up and placed them on Callie's shoulders, applying slight pressure just to let her know there were things that needed to be said.

"As much as I've missed this," Arizona said breathlessly. "We really have some things to clear up."

"We can do that in the morning," Callie retorted, too drunk and too caught up in the feeling of kissing and holding Arizona again. The blonde was not having any of this, however, and removed herself from Callie's grasp as the other woman leaned in to capture her lips. "Arizona-"

"There's too much going on with us, Calliope," Arizona interrupted gently with a shake of her head. "We have to talk before we do anything else."

"Fine," Callie threw up her hands and leaned on to the counter. "I should warn you though…I've been drinking tequila."

"I know…I could taste it," she quietly told her before following suit and leaning against the counter on the other side of the sink. "There's just…so much to say, I don't…"

Seeing the worried look on Arizona's face, and hearing the hesitation in her tone, Callie spoke up, "OK…I know whatever happened between you and…Katie must have been awful, because you would've told me." Callie shot a reassuring smile at Arizona before continuing, "I'm not saying that it's fine…the way things have come to light, but I'm willing to hear you out, so…"

Callie motioned for Arizona to fill in the blanks, and she knew it was time.

She had never openly admitted this to anyone. The only person that knew what had happened with Katie was Katie, and even she never fully understood what it was that caused this behavior in Arizona. Even after the closure at the hospital, Arizona still regretted never fully disclosing what had forced this rash and impulsive decision to pick up and leave behind her life and move to Seattle.

"I was in love with Katie," Arizona began; slowly, allowing time to pace herself for what she hoped was a forgivable explanation for her side of the abandonment. "We had known each other for a while, we got together, we lived together, and we even had a cat together. We did all those couple things that you do. We did all the steps that led to building a life together."

She paused, allowing each memory to fill her head and bring the happiness that accompanied it before it slowly disappeared at the sight of Callie's face. Arizona looked over at that face, noting the attention and consideration that her story deserved, before taking in a deep breath and continuing with, what she considered, the hardest part of the story.

"We talked about getting married," she informed, begrudgingly. "It had come up a few times…both of us convinced that…this was it, you know? I was busy with finishing my residency, and being chief resident on top of it all, so…Katie planned everything out. She took our…general acceptance of where we were going and went all out. She had a romantic dinner, candle light, music, the works…"

Once again, recalling the memory out loud brought it front, center, and vividly in her mind. It was as if Callie and Arizona, herself, had shifted into the scene she was describing. As if they both turned and watched as the past Arizona entered their apartment back home and Katie was waiting for them in the soft lighting.

"She didn't ask right away," Arizona continued. "We had dinner, talked about each other's day, and then…"

Arizona scrunched her face into a frown, suddenly, as the memories opened up fresh wounds and slowed down the narrative. Callie eyes remained fixed on the blonde, a fusion of confusion, hurt, and concern clouded the brown as they waited for Arizona to find her bearings.

"It just happened, before I even realized what was really going on," Arizona mused after letting the memories soak in her mind and letting herself soak in the feelings those memories stirred in her. "A part of me knew it was coming, but…all of the sudden there was this ring. She asked me the question, something we had talked about and agreed upon, and I…

"I froze."

Looking over, Arizona couldn't help but be slightly shocked at the empathetic look Callie wore on her face. Through this whole experience, the last thing she wished for (but secretly hoped for) was that Callie would be sympathetic and understanding of her situation. Even through all the similarities it brought up with her past relationships.

"I know why I did it," Arizona went on. "Now…I know why, but then…something inside me stopped. It was only a second that I thought about it; and, when I had convinced myself how stupid I was being, I opened my mouth to answer…but my phone rang."

Callie heard the slight crack at the end of her sentence. Instinctively, she shuffled closer and tried not to read too much into Arizona responding in the exact same way. The story wasn't over, let alone what they had to say to each other after and neither wanted to push anything too far.

"It was my father," Arizona choked out while still, somehow, keeping her voice steady. "He was calling to tell me that my brother was dead."

It was the first time Arizona had allowed her eyes to meet with Callie's since she started her story. For Callie, it was the first time she saw the flood gate behind Arizona's eyes being held back for the sake of letting Callie in on this part of Arizona's life.

"That was the last time I saw Katie," Arizona admitted, her eyes still locked with Callie's. "I left, went to my parents, and we went to the airplane hangar the next day."

Despite her best efforts at holding back tears, Arizona let one slide down her face. She wiped it away immediately, not wanting to leave any traces of it behind. Callie's gaze remained fixed and soft, yet still not satisfied with her justifications, "You should have said something to her."

"I had lost everything that day," Arizona replied, punctuating every word to try to convey her point. "I never really loved Katie, not enough to marry her. So I lost that…future with someone I thought I loved and my brother. I know it wasn't the right thing to do, and I wish I would have done it differently…but I don't regret doing it at all."

"Why here?" Callie asked suddenly, trying to get a full understanding of Arizona's choices. "Why Seattle?"

"Along with the top rated teaching hospital," Arizona responded with a small laugh as she looked away. "It was Danny's favorite place. We lived her for a few months when we were kids and…he just loved the rain, and I hated it. That's all I remember about being here. That's why I applied for the job."

Callie couldn't help but smile at Arizona. With this major exception, Arizona usually talked very open about her family and her favorite memories with her brother. The look that always spread over her face was one that Callie adored, but through Arizona's smile there was a hint of sadness and grief. It wasn't until all this happened that Callie realized why Arizona skimmed over the death and the ex and why she had chosen Seattle in the first place.

Arizona opened her mouth to continue, but stopped to look back at Callie with the same dream like expression she had just adapted when thinking about her brother. "I always thought about what I did, you know…the choice I made to come here. It was easy to push down and forget, but then I saw you."

A light blush danced around Callie's face that wore a huge smile. Arizona motioned towards her, "Yeah, that's the smile. That's what got me. So, I asked around…turns out with your drama, though, I didn't always have to ask. Most of the time I was just told, and then…"

"You found me in the bathroom," Callie finished.

"I'm sorry I kept so much from you when you've kept nothing from me," Arizona said, still smiling but this time with a sad smile. "I watched you, and I saw what Erica did to you and I…I wanted to make it go away. I didn't want you to worry that I was going to leave because I didn't just come here for the job, or for Danny, I think…

"I think maybe I came for you."

She winced at her words, "Oh, God…I know I'm cheery and romantic, but I can't believe I just said that."

As Arizona began laughing, Callie couldn't help but join in. "That was pretty bad," Callie agreed, still laughing. "Seriously, I am so not used to this."

The laughter slowly subsided as their words began to way heavy on each of them. Callie looked down as the honesty of her words sunk in. "No one has ever pursued me like that and had this effect on me," Callie confessed quietly. "I think a part of me always waited for the other shoe to drop with you and hearing about this whole other life…"

"I wish I was the one to tell you…you know, willingly," Arizona admitted. "This past week I needed to be alone, I needed to process things on my own, but I had to stop myself from calling you-"

"Why?" Callie cut in, her tone getting sharper. "You know I would have been there. I would've put aside our stuff and helped you get through this."

"I know that," she shot back, her voice rising to Callie's level. "You think I didn't know that? That's why I stopped myself. All the things that have happened to us in the past week, all the pieces of my life I kept from you, and…you still would have been there for me."

She knew telling Callie everything that she kept hidden would have been tough, but Arizona never realized she would get to this point. She turned away from Callie, too embarrassed by the emotions and words spilling out of her mouth while Callie looked on with her mouth hanging open. "You just snuck up on. I didn't know what I'd find when I came to Seattle," she continued. "You terrify me because after what I did to Katie I don't deserve it. How's that right? She died and I still get to be happy…"

Arizona hung her head and brought her hand up to rub her eyes. She jumped when she felt Callie come up behind her and rest her hands on Arizona's hips. Once the blonde relaxed slightly, Callie pulled her back and placed her head on Arizona's shoulders and her hands around her waist. "You scare me, too, you know," Callie whispered. "You think I snuck up on you? Arizona…you came out of nowhere."

Callie smiled and Arizona could feel it as she turned her face slightly to Callie's. "I'm not good at this, sometimes," Callie acknowledged. "I've gotten burned before, when I blurt out my feelings so…I hold them in." As soon as she heard the words, Callie back pedaled. "Well, with these kinds of feelings, I hold it in. I should tell you more…but it's kind of a lot to live up to-"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on," Callie retorted playfully. "You have a speech for like…everything."

"I do not-"

"Arizona," Callie warned with a smile. "You know you do. I guess that's why when all this came up and you hadn't said anything, I…"

The truth of their situation brought them back to reality. Arizona still brought her hands up to lay on top of Callie's. "I was mad," Callie began slowly. "I'm still…a little upset, because what Erica did…but through my anger, I was just scared that this was going to, somehow…I was scared of losing you, is my point."

Arizona turned in Callie's arms and brought her arms to hang loosely around her neck, her fingers absently playing with the collar of Callie's coat. "I'm not going anywhere," Arizona told her with a firm nod. "I know that it's gonna take work and time, with us…but I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Callie pursed her lips as her eyes studied the other woman's face. "So…you're not gonna pull away when I kiss you this time?"

Arizona was shaking her head when Callie moved forward. Her arms and hands had come to rest on the small of Arizona's back and she urged the blonde forward. Callie dipped her head, keeping her lips right above Arizona's. "I promise," Arizona sighed as she met Callie's mouth half way.

As soon as they made contact, it was as if everything had disappeared around them. The kiss picked up right where it left off, only this time Callie began to gently push Arizona towards her bedroom while still kissing her. Everything was out in the open, there was still work to be done on their relationship, but they were willing to put all that aside and trust themselves with each other.

***

**Author's Note 2:** OK, so thanks again for hanging in there with me. I'm planning on writing a little epilogue to this, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it. I kinda struggled writing the end and was hoping for the new Grey's to slightly inspire me but…that didn't happen.

Anyway, sorry this is later than I wanted. Thanks again for keeping up and hopefully my muse will strike me with something else soon!


	10. Chapter 10 Epilogue

**Title:** The Other Life of Arizona Robbins (10/10)  
**Author:** Race122VE (Coll)  
**Pairing:** Arizona/Callie  
**Rating:** PG-13 - R (Just to be on the safe side. I don't do smut, but I can skim the border)  
**Summary:** A figure from Arizona's past shows up at the hospital and brings with her a glimpse of the person Arizona used to be before she showed up.  
**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** This is my first time attempting this fandom/pairing, and my first time writing anything in quite a while, but I was inspired and figured I'd give it a shot. Takes place after 6.10 "Holidaze." Hope you enjoy, thanks!

**Chapter 10 – Epilogue**

The harsh, shrill beeping of the alarm clock filled the room, causing Arizona to lift her head off the pillow and squint around the room. She groaned, opening her eyes slowly. The bright light of morning attacked her eyes as the sound continued ringing on her ears. Arizona peeked down at the tangle of sheets and limbs as she hesitantly started getting out of bed, taking her time to go check the pagers on Callie's bureau when the sound suddenly ceased. Arizona looked over to the other side of the bed and smiled as Callie looked over at her and yawned.

"It was the alarm," she informed sleepily as she kept her eyes closed. "Not the pagers. I'm off; you're off…come here."

Before scooting back over, Arizona glanced over and took a look at the time. "Ugh," she moaned as she fell back to the bed and scooted into Callie's arms. "Why would your alarm be set for that time? You're on the night shift-"

"I was on the night shift," Callie corrected, her voice still hoarse with sleep. "I had to switch when you were away."

Arizona pouted, but Callie simply tightened her hold on the blonde. "Great…everything got screwed up. Our schedules were gonna be in sync and now…" she trailed off, sighing into Callie's embrace as she stared off to the mess of clothes strewn about the bedroom, along with some sheets of paper that were shoved off of bedside tables, and picture frames that had been knocked down. A smile replaced her pout and a small laugh escaped from her mouth.

"What?"

"Just checking out the damage," Arizona remarked, and she felt Callie's head turn to gaze at the wreckage. "Guess we got a little…caught up."

"That's one way of putting it," Callie chuckled. "At least we know we're OK in that department."

It was one of those things that she just said without thinking, but Callie scrunched her face in preparation for the glare that Arizona was going to shoot her way. Sure enough, a second later, Arizona pushed herself up on her elbow and looked down at Callie with her jaw hanging open.

"That came out wrong-"

"I thought we were OK," Arizona argued. "Last night…I thought-"

"We did…we did," Callie interrupted, but with a gentler tone that she hoped would calm Arizona. "Come on, you know that I do the whole talk without thinking thing sometimes. My point was just…last night was amazing."

Satisfied with Callie's response, Arizona leaned down and pressed her lips to Callie's. It was chaste, sweet, and just the beginning of a trail of kisses Arizona was leaving down her jaw and neck. Callie let out a low hum of pleasure and brought her hands up to run through the blonde hair in front of her. "I've missed this," Callie admitted.

Arizona ceased her exploration of Callie's neck and moved to look her in the eye. "Me too," she said quietly, reaching up and taking one of Callie's hands in her own.

"So," Callie began, her tone light and teasing as she shifted in bed so she was sitting up slightly. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Arizona let out a small laugh in response before composing herself and playing along with Callie. She bit her lower lip and rolled her eyes upwards, as if searching her mind for anything she had yet to disclose to her girlfriend. "Oh," she exclaimed as the thought came to the front of her mind. "My parents want to meet you" Callie's face fell slightly, the playful façade she had started now dropped to a more serious look.

"You OK?" she slowly asked, tilting her head in concern.

"Yeah," Callie shrugged. "Yeah…no, it's i-it's…fine…good."

A big, dimpled smile spread across Arizona's face, "You're nervous."

"No."

"Yes…yes you are, Calliope," Arizona teased, squeezing her hand in the process. "You so don't have to be, you know? Anytime I've talked to my parents I talk about you or work."

"Oh…"

"And it's not like I booked the flight for next weekend," Arizona continued. "We have time to think about it. I'm just…letting you know."

"OK," Callie responded before laughing at her nervousness. "Sorry…it's just…I never knew if I should bring it up or wait for you to say something-"

"You thought about it?" Arizona asked, confirming her suspicions. "You want to meet my family?"

"Yeah," Callie deadpanned. "The nerves are just…general, meeting the family nerves. I think we've been through worst case scenario with my family."

"And look at it now," Arizona remarked, leaning over to kiss Callie quickly. "Look at us now."

Callie brought her hand up to push back Arizona's tussled hair to get a better look at the clear, blue eyes staring back at her deep, brown. She wanted to say 'I love you,' but knew it would be a waste of words. Those three words no longer expressed how Callie really felt about Arizona. She knew, looking at this woman lying with her that the work that lay ahead of them was only going to solidify their bond and not break it.

"I hope you're planning two separate trips, then," Callie teased. "Because you still owe me a long weekend away."

Laughter filled the room as Callie pulled Arizona back down into her embrace. "I think I can work that out."

**Author's Note 2:** So, this is it! The end! Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews and support for my story. It's been floating around in my head and I'm really happy that I got it out, especially since it's been so long since I've published anything. I don't know what I'll be writing next. I have an idea in my head, but I want to wait till after tonight's episode to try to keep things cannon with the show.

Anyway, thanks so much again. I'm really glad so many of you liked the story!


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